Machine for cooking tortillas.



P. G. GARZA. MACHINE ron coomms TORTILLAS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- I2. 1915.

lnventog,

Attorneys Witnesses Z WQAM P. G. GARZA. MACHINE FOR 000mm; TORTILLAS.

APPUCATIGN FILED NOV. 12. I915.

Inventoy 2SHEETS--SHEET 2.

Patenised 0%. 1, 1%.

Attorneys.

lid

til)

PABLO GONZALEZ G'ARZA, 0F MONTERETZ', MEXICG.

MAC l I Specification of Letters Patent.

E FOR CGQKING- TORTILLAS.

Patented diet. it, llitlld.

application filed November 12, 1915. Serial No. 61.1%.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that T, PABLO GONZALEZ GAnzA, a citizen of the Republic ofMexico, residing at Monterey, Mexico, in the Republic of Mexico, haveinvented a new and useful Machine ior Cooking Tortillas, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter oi this application is adapted tobe employed for baking tortillas, a kind of Mexican cake or flap-jackmade out of corn, the corn bein boiled in a weak lime water, ground anmashed into a thick dough, after which it is pressed out into cakes. Thepresent invention does not relate to the making of the cakes, butprovides a means whereby the same may be baked.

The invention aims to provide novel means for advancing the cakes andfor subjecting the cakes to the action of a heating or baking means, toprovide novel means for reversing the cakes, as the cakes are de liveredfrom one conveyor to another, to provide novel means for maintaining theconveyors taut and, generally, to improve and enhance the utility ofdevices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made with in thescope of what is claimed, without departin" from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows in side elevation, a machine einbodying'the presentinvention, the inclosing' casing appearing in section;

Figs. 9; and 3 are transverse sectioned views, showing opposite ends ofthe ma chine;

Fig. i is a fragmental plan showing one of the plates which go to makeup the conveyers;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a fragments]; plan of one of the conveyors,

The machine forming the subject matter of this application embodies aframe 1 which may be variously constructed without jeopardizing theutility of the invention.

Inclosing the frame 1 is a. casing 2, preferably made of metal, thecasing constituting a means whereby the cakes are prevented from beingcooled ofi, while the same are being baked. At one end and at its uppercorner 3, the casing 52 is cut away, so that the cakes may be insertedreadily into the machine to be baked. At the diagonally disposed lowercorner, the casing 2 is cut away as shown at 4, to receive a removablereceptacle 5 in which the baked cakes ultimately are deposited.

- Journaled for rotation in the frame 11 adjacent the opening 3 is ashaft 6 carrying sprocket Wheels 7. The trance 1 includes brackets 8upon which. are fulcrnned 5dshaped levers 9, the fulcrurns of the loversbeing indicated at 12. The lovers 9 include upstanding arms in which isjournaled for rotation a shaft 11 carrying sprocket Wheels lt. About thesprocket wheels 7 and iiat the sides of the frame 1 are trained chains15, connected by transverse plates 16 held to the links of the chains bymeans of securing elements 17, the adjacent edges of the plates 16preferably being provided with eyes receiving pintles 19, theconstruction beinsf such that one plate is hingedly connected with anadjoining plate. The plates of the conveyer above describwl are rovidedwith upstanding projections 520 w ich serve to engage the cakes, to theend that the cakes may be advanced along" with the conveyor. The lever 9carries an arcuate, trough-shaped cake turner 21, the function andutility of which will be set forth hereinafter.

The turner .21 acts as a weight for the lever 9, and the lever 9, in itsturn, constitutes a means for tightening up the conveyor comprising thechains 15. If desired, however, movable weights 10 may be straddled ontothe bend of the lever 3'. Intermediate its ends, the conveyor abovedescribed and the conveyors to be described hereinafter are supportedbeneath their upper runs, by means of sprocket wheels 39 journaled onthe frame 1 adjacent its sides.

Journaled for rotation in the frame 1 below the shaft 6 is a shaft 2%.A. shaft .23 is mounted at the opposite end of the trains, in a mannersimilar to the mounting of the shaft 11. The shafts 22 and 23 carrysprocket wheels 40 about which is trained a conveyor 24:, constructedlike the conveyor above described. Below the shaft 24 is journaled inthe frame it, and

below. the shaft 28, a shaft 25 is carried by a lever, as hereinbeioreset forth. The shafts 2d and 25 carry sprocket Wheels l1 about which istrained a conveyor 27, of the sort hereinbetore set forth. Atroughshaped, cake turner 28 is carried by the "frame 1 and coiiperateswith the right hand end of the conveyor 24, there being a cake turner 42carried by a lever, as above described, and located at the left hand endof the conveyor 2'? and above the receptacle 5.

Fixed to the end of the shaft 6 is a sprocket Wheel 29, the shaft 22carrying a sprocltet wheel at), and the shalt 28 carrying a sprocketWheel 31. A drive chain. 32 is looped about the sprocket Wheels and 31,both runs of the sprocket chain 32 being located to one side out thesprocket Wheel 30, and one of said runs coacting with the sprocket Wheelin a manner Which Will be entirely obvious from Fig. 1, Attached to theshaft 24; is a pulley 38 about Which is trained a belt 3toperativelyconnected With prime mover indicated diagrammatically at 35,

suitable means may be provided for heating several conveyor-s abovedescribed. ll desired, a gas supply pipe 36 may consitute a part of theinvention, the pipe communicating "with longitudinal pipes individual tothe several. conveyors,

the pipes 8f being equipped with burners 88 operating; beneath theconveyors.

ln practical operation, motion is transmitted to the shafts 23, E22 and6 and to the several conveyors, by means of the belt 3%: and thesprocket chain 32. The cakes, in an unbah'ed condition, are placed ontne upper run of th upper conveyor, through the opening 3. The upper runof the upper eyer travels to the left, and by means ill, the cakesreversed run the core anoasoe veyer 24-, the said upper run of theconveyor moving to the right, the cakes being reversed'by the turner 28and being deposited on the upper run of the lower conveyor 27, the upperrun of the lower contcyer 27 moving to the left, and the cakes beingreversed by the turner 42, as the cakes drop into the receptacle 5.

The machine forming the subject matter of this application will bake thecakes rapidly, Wlll reverse them at the proper time and produce a spongyand satisfactory article.

Having" thus described the invention, "What is claimed is 1. lln adevice of the class described, a frame; a sprocket Wheel journaled onthe frame; a lever hilcrumed on the frame; a sprocket Wheel carried bythe lever; a corn veyer passed about the sprocket Wheels; cake turnercarried by the lever and constituting a countervveig .t therefor, theturner cooperating With the conveyor; means for receiving the cake fromthe turner;' and means for heating the conveyer,

2. lo a machine of the class described, frame; a first belt conveyormounted to traverse the frame; means for heating the conveyor; atightening means for the conveyor;

. a cake turner cooperating with the conveyor and carried by thetightening means, the

turner constituting a means for actuating the tightening means withrespect to the conveyor, and a second conveyor upon "which the caketurner discharges.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, it have hereto ailned my signa ture in the presence of two Witnesses,

PABLQ GUNZAULFZ G.

Witnesses:

lRtVl /l. llJlARLLINEZ, dean l7,

